Green up ya own back yard

To: Pitt engineering student garden designers
Joseph Miccio, Santhiya Mahilkanthan, Justin Lehr, and Tyler DeGirolamo
jam224@pitt.edu, sam161@pitt.edu, jwl24@pitt.edu, tad33@pitt.edu:

Regarding:
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Proposal to the Hazelwood Initiative for the Development of a Community Vegetable Garden

http://www.engr.pitt.edu/freshman/academic/engr0715/studentdata/Team8/team8.html

http://www.engr.pitt.edu/freshman/academic/engr0715/studentdata/Team8/Proposal.pdf

http://www.engr.pitt.edu/freshman/academic/engr0715/studentdata/Team8/ppt.pdf
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Thank you for your work. I would like to call your attention to a couple of assumptions you are making.

1. There is industrial-scale composting (see BioCycle and Compost Science journals), so recycling of waste biomass need not necessarily include only composting bins. Designing sustainable local food web return of organics to the soil can include more materials than those possible with small home composters.

2. There is remediation value in composting (via biodegradation and chelation), and also application of any organic matter. Biologically diverse and alive soil speeds up bioremediation.

3. No site should be given up on. If soil toxics can't be removed, simply covering them - e.g. with organic matter - makes them less airborne and less likely to come in contact with people. San Francisco League of Urban Gardeners works with their health dept. e.g. to apply wood chips to lead-contaminated soil.

4. Composting both adds nutrients and inoculates with species which work together to increase bioavailability of nutrients already there.

I applaud your work to both assess and engender community interest in and commitment to food gardening. Given the likely rapid increase in the price of food - and recognized environmental need for locally grown food - we should think big such as gearing up to supply local groceries, farmstands, food co-ops, and food pantries.

Jim McCue
composter and biotech researcher
bioeverything.blogspot.com
hazelwoodhomepage.com